The fact that she was here with a man, someone she cared about who she could easily see herself falling for was a step in the right direction.
She just hoped she didn’t ruin it all once things got busy again. She didn’t know how she’d juggle everything, but she’d try.
She had to.
Chapter 18
By the time dinner was over and they headed back to Thea’s house, she had a headache but wasn’t down for the count yet.
“You did so well with them.”
Dimitri grinned at her as he set down his keys next to hers. She tried not to get a weird feeling about that, how well his things looked next to hers, but she couldn’t help thinking about what would come next—and not just for that night.
“Really?” he asked. “Because I was sweating there for a few minutes when your dad sipped his wine and stared at me over the glass. He didn’t ask what my intentions were with you, but he was damn close with the whole plans and school thing.”
Thea winced. “Sorry about that. At least you had an answer.”
They both went to her couch, taking seats next to each other so they were touching but still able to speak to one another easily.
“An answer I’m not that happy with. The whole administration there is changing, and it’s making it hard for me to work without showing my ink. You know?”
She traced her fingers down the dark trees on his forearm. She’d always loved that ink, and it was a shame that he had to hide it during the day when he hadn’t had to before.
“Maybe things will change.”
“I’m not quitting. The kids need me and, frankly, I need them.” He cupped her face. “And I don’t want to move to a different school district. If I did, well, I’d have to move away from those I care about.”
She swallowed hard. “Like Captain.”
He smiled softly. “If I left, I’d take him with me. If I had to go, though, I wouldn’t be able to take you with me. Your life is here. Your family. Your work. You’ve put your heart into it, your life, and I can’t take that away from you.”
Her heart raced. “I can’t be the only reason you’re staying, Dimitri. I can’t handle that pressure.”
His thumb traced her cheek. “I’d never do that to you. That’s my roundabout way of telling you that you’re important to me and that I care about you. That I want to keep doing what we’re doing and seeing who we can be together.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips so softly that it was barely a whisper. “You’re important to me, Thea. You’re…you’re so much.”
Her heart clutched at the words, and not because he hadn’t said the three most wanted to hear. Neither of them was ready for that kind of declaration yet. The one he’d just made, however, was precisely what she needed, what she’d never thought she could have. Not with him, anyway. It had always been a dream, a far-fetched idea when it came to finding someone she could care about. And then Dimitri had shown up out of nowhere, even though he’d always been there, and her world shifted off its axis.
She leaned forward and kissed him harder, wanting him, needing him, craving him. “I want you in my life, too. This was a big step tonight, and I think you surprised them. You surprised me.”
“Oh, yeah?” He bit her lower lip, and she shivered.
“Yeah.”
“Let me surprise you more then.”
He was on her in a flash, her back on the couch, his body between her legs as he kissed her, exploring her mouth with abandon. Thea touched him, needing him, wanting him. She wanted all of him, and it wasn’t fair that there were so many layers between them. Dimitri must have understood because, somehow, they were both naked on the couch in a flash, her pussy over his face, and her face right over his cock.
“How…how did you flip us so easily?” she asked, stroking his rigid length in her palm. “I mean, I’m not complaining, but I still don’t know how you got me naked so fast.”
He spread her thighs, humming on her pussy. The sensation rocketed through her, and she closed her eyes, taking a few quick breaths to regain her composure. She was such a quick trigger when it came to Dimitri, and they both knew it.
Sure, they both liked it, but she wanted his mouth on her clit for longer than two seconds, and that meant she needed to hold back her orgasm for just a bit longer.
“Babe, you were the one undoing my pants. We’re a team when it comes to dual stripping.”
He wasn’t wrong.
She let out an exaggerated sigh before yelping as he bit her inner thigh. In retaliation, she grazed her teeth along his cock, and he froze.
“That’s what I thought.” She grinned, then went back to licking down his length. She tried to keep her attention on his dick, on the way he filled her mouth, the way she sucked on his balls. But every time she got into a rhythm she knew he liked by the way he flexed his hips, he’d suck on her clit just right. And because her couch wasn’t the widest one in the world, she had to be careful not to relax too much, or they’d both end up on the floor, and no one would be coming.
But then he spread her cheeks and blew on her before biting down on her clit.
She came, hard, squeezing his dick in her hand as she did so. He groaned, and she figured he must have enjoyed it because he lifted his hips into her hold.
“What…did…I…say…about…teeth?” She was having a hard time catching her breath, and when she looked over her shoulder, he just grinned, patting her ass.
“You liked it.”
“Maybe.”
“No maybe about it.”
Then, somehow, she was in his arms, riding him as he slid deep inside her, having put on a condom as the two of them moved into position. With her hands on the back of the couch, it gave Dimitri the perfect opportunity to play with her breasts, and she couldn’t help but arch into him, rocking her hips and lowering herself up and down over him.
He filled her so completely, was almost too big for her, though she knew that wasn’t quite true. It was just at this angle that it was hard for both of them to concentrate. At least that’s what he’d told her.
And this time when she came, he did too, and she knew she’d be lost to this man forever. It wasn’t just a game, wasn’t just a night with Dimitri. He’d survived dinner with her family, had done everything to make sure she felt as special and cared for as possible.
And she knew if she weren’t careful, she’d fall for him.
But if she looked closer, she might realize she already had.
Chapter 19
Dimitri put away the last of his grading, his eyes crossing, but he knew he had a long night ahead of him with a beautiful woman, so he could at least celebrate a bit. Once he entered his grades into the antiquated system his school used, he’d be done for the semester and would have a few days off before the holidays, and then a few days to prep for the next semester. He never truly had a full break, not even during the summer, but that was his job, and he’d learned to love it, long nights and all.
Tonight, however, was about him and Thea and a fancy date at a restaurant with white tablecloths and candles. Neither of them could usually afford the place, but Thea had gone to culinary and pastry school with the chef, and he had invited them for a special tasting during regular dinner hours. Dimitri didn’t mind playing fancy for the evening, and he was damn excited to see Thea in a dress.
And then he imagined what he’d do later with that dress and the curves underneath and well…
He let out a groan, adjusting himself behind the fly of his jeans. He really needed to get a grip—and not on his dick.
Having a hard-on at a place where the cost per plate was four times as much as he generally spent on himself for dinner was going to be interesting, but he knew he’d have a good time.
He’d be with Thea, after all.
Dimitri couldn’t believe that he’d almost told her he loved her the week before. He’d employed practically every other way to let her know about his feelings, but he’d seen the look in her eyes as he s
tarted speaking and knew he needed to take a step back and just live in the moment.
He loved Thea Montgomery.
He had no idea how it had happened or when it had become love over caring and need, but here he was, about to get ready to go on a date with the woman he loved—the woman he couldn’t tell that.
Not because he was afraid she’d run, not really. But things had moved really fast for them once they realized who they could be to one another. They had a complicated past that came with more than one kind of baggage. And that meant they had to worry about more than their feelings for each other.
They were standing atop a house of cards where one wrong move could topple it all.
That’s why Dimitri was doing his best to make sure they were building a foundation and going slow, even though they were in a precarious position. If they tried hard enough, if they understood who they were and how they could be with one another, they could build their own house made out of something far stronger than cards.
Dimitri frowned, blinking down at his desk. Apparently, he’d been spending too much time with his sister if he was spouting random nonsense about cards and houses and building. Amelia was pretty amazing and way better at emotions than he was—at least he thought so.
“Time to get ready.”
He didn’t know why he was talking to himself, but he needed to shower and put on some of his best clothes to go out to dinner with the woman he loved. The woman he’d tell that to one day soon. She needed more time, and frankly, so did he.
When she could look at him, be with him, without worrying about hurting his ex, then they’d both be ready for the next step. As it was, he still had a strange feeling when it came to Molly. On the surface, she seemed happy for them, almost pushing them together. Beneath it all, though, he worried that he was missing something. Maybe she was trying too hard, or perhaps he wanted to see something wrong. But he hadn’t forgotten the shellfish episode and found he was paying far more attention than he used to when it came to how Molly spoke to Thea. Sometimes, he swore she almost put Thea down as she spoke, but he couldn’t be sure.
Molly had always been good at subtle insults and passive-aggressiveness—one reason they were no longer married—but he hadn’t noticed her doing it to Thea before now. Maybe she always had, and he just hadn’t noticed, or perhaps he was simply too aware now that he was so protective of Thea.
He wasn’t sure, but something was off, and he didn’t know what he could or would do about it. He’d do everything he could to keep Thea safe, of course, but he also didn’t want to take away her ability to protect herself or ruin a friendship because he was seeing things that weren’t there.
That meant he had to actually talk to her about it.
That wouldn’t be awkward at all.
Dimitri snorted, then went to take a quick shower and get ready for his date. He planned to meet Thea at her place since she had to get ready at her sister’s house after a family meeting, and then he was going to spend the night at her house, so he had to pack a bag. He’d already left a toothbrush at her place, but he didn’t know if she was ready for him to leave more. One small step at a time, he figured. She didn’t spend much time at his place since it was too small for them to have their own space and not be on top of each other—at least when that wasn’t the plan. It worked for a single man, not so much for a couple.
That would change, though, he figured. Just how, he didn’t quite know yet.
He was just finishing with his tie, his packed bag next to him on the bed when his phone buzzed.
The screen read Molly, and he almost didn’t answer it, but Captain didn’t deserve that.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.
“I was just seeing if you were going to stop by tonight to see Captain.”
He frowned since he’d already told her his plans for the weekend and she’d explained hers, but he repeated it anyway.
“No, I’ll be there tomorrow to take him for the weekend. I know you have your event, that way, you don’t have to worry about him at your house when you’re not home.”
“My house. It’s so weird to think of it that way.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Molly.”
“Sorry. Weird day. Anyway, see you tomorrow. Any plans tonight?”
“Just the normal ones,” he said, not wanting to get into it. There was something off, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what. Maybe he was reaching, but knew he needed to get Captain out of that house soon so he could finish cutting communication with his ex.
What that meant for Thea and Molly’s friendship, he didn’t know. But not all boyfriends had to be friends with every person in their girlfriend’s life.
“Well, have fun. See you soon, Dimitri.”
She hung up before he said anything, and he shook his head, sliding his phone into his pocket. He had no idea what he was going to do when it came to Molly, but he knew it was past time he did something. He didn’t like the feeling he had these days when he thought of her, and that made him a little sick. It hadn’t always been that way, and the fact that he’d chosen her, had thought he loved her, spoke volumes about him rather than who she was now in his opinion.
He pushed those thoughts from his mind, however, and slid on his suit jacket as he gathered the rest of his things.
Tonight, was about him and Thea.
Tomorrow, he’d think about what he had to do.
No matter the cost.
Chapter 20
When Thea met him in the parking lot of the restaurant, Dimitri almost fell to his knees, his breath catching.
“You look fucking phenomenal.”
She was in a red dress that went to her knees with a little flair. It had lacy sleeves that ended right below her shoulders, and one of those necklines that made her breasts look so fucking edible, he had a hard time keeping his mind on the rest of her. Her long legs were bare, and he knew she’d be cold if they weren’t quick, but he had a few ideas for how to keep her warm. Those shoes, however? Fuck-me heels if he’d ever seen them—black with long spikes. She’d done something smoky with her eyes, her lips matched her dress, and she had her long, black hair in soft waves that tumbled over her shoulder.
He'd always thought she looked sexy and his with flour on her face and an apron covering her.
He loved this just as much.
He loved her.
She grinned, doing a spin. “You think?”
“I fucking know. And if I wasn’t worried about putting a hole in one of my two good suits, I’d pray in front of you right now.”
“I don’t want you to get messy Mr. Sex in a Suit. It snowed earlier, and I’d rather you stay all warm and very hot. Thank you for keeping the beard, by the way.”
He ran a hand over his scruff that was a bit longer than scruff. “I know you like it. I trimmed it a bit, though, so I don’t look like a ruffian in a suit. I want to look nice for your friend so they don’t kick us out.”
She went up onto her toes and kissed his cheek. “You look damn edible. I love the fact that I know you have ink under all those layers. It’s just for me.”
He cupped her face. “They’re always just for you. Now, let’s get inside so you don’t freeze, and I don’t take you back to one of our cars and take you home.”
Her eyes widened, and she laughed. “I forgot. I got blown away by you in a suit.”
“Same could be said about you in that dress.”
She winked but tightened her long coat around herself so he couldn’t see her dress anymore, her sparkly handbag just as bright at her eyes. “Let’s go play at being fancy.”
“Nothing playing with you in that dress, babe.”
“You say the sweetest things.” She laughed, and he helped her navigate the icy patches as they talked about his last days of school and how nervous she was about the loan paperwork for the bakery since she hadn’t heard anything back yet. It was just easy. He liked things being easy since they hadn’t been in far too
long. He just liked being near Thea.
The hostess sat them at a table in the back that was private and looked perfect for their quiet night. When the water came, they explained that their food would be out in stages since it was a tasting, and they were aware of Dimitri’s shellfish allergy and had a special menu prepared for the two of them.
“I feel special,” he whispered once the waiter left and the sommelier moved toward them.
Thea squeezed his knee. “You are special.”
He kissed her softly, and she smiled sweetly.
The sommelier gave them a wine list, and both Dimitri and Thea decided to go with whatever wine the restaurant had paired with the meal. That meant a few small glasses of wine and lots of water since they were both driving.
They were on their first glass of wine, a light Pino that made him hungry for something other than the bread at the table, when a familiar voice made him freeze.
“Dimitri? Thea? I never thought I’d see the two of you here. What a coincidence.”
Dimitri froze, blinking over at Thea, whose eyes had widened before the two of them almost comically turned in unison to see Molly standing in front of their table. She wore a perfectly snug white dress, her long hair pulled up in a fancy twist he’d once known the name for, and she was covered classily in diamonds.
What. The. Hell.
“Molly?” Thea’s voice was a bit of a rasp, and Dimitri didn’t blame her.
“I love seeing you two on a date at one of my places.”
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